After This
by Penguinlala815
Summary: Katara worries about Sokka. I'm not very good with titles. It is actually very random.


This is my first FanFic. Please be nice!** : P Thanks!**

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Katara's POV

Katara sat in the back of Appa's saddle watching the Fire Nation disappear into the horizon. The others were sitting up by the front of the saddle. They were all watching the horizon too, except for The Duke who was sitting against Teo's wheelchair with his head in his arms and Toph (obviously) who was clinging on to Haru's arm. Katara noticed that Sokka was not sitting with them. He was sitting alone, with his knees pulled up to his chest and his chin resting on his arms and his eyes looking down. Katara got up and sat down next to him. "Hey, are you okay?" Katara asked.

"Yeah. Great." Sokka replied.

"You know, Dad and the others are going to be fine."

"Yeah, I know."

"Then what's wrong?"

Sokka shrugged and sighed. Frustrated, Katara got up to go sit next to The Duke, he fingers brushing the top of Sokka's head as she passed. Katara nudged The Duke gently with her elbow. "Hi The Duke."

"Hey." He sniffled

"How are you doing?"

"I miss Pipsqueak!" The Duke answered angrily, letting a few tears fall down his cheeks.

"Don't worry," Teo reassured him. "Pipsqueak is a big, strong guy. He can take care of himself."

"I know, but," The Duke wiped his tears with the tears with the back of his hand. "Pipsqueak and me have been together for a long time. He and Jet were like my big brothers, now Jet's dead and Pipsqueak is in a Fire Nation prison!" He continued to cry.

Katara put an arm around The Duke and gave him a one-armed hug. She was actually pretty surprised that he could actually come out and just say that Jet had died. She usually tried to avoid thinking about the subject. Katara felt so pathetic. They had lost the invasion; she thought that they had been so prepared for it.

Glancing over at Sokka, unmoved and miserable, she felt even worse. What was so horrible that he couldn't tell her why he was so upset? If he wasn't going to tell her somebody else would. Katara stood up, stepped out of the saddle and took a seat next to Aang at Appa's reigns. "Hey." Katara said nervously.

"Hey." Aang answered. It sounded like he had been crying.

They sat there for a few long and quiet minutes. Katara wasn't really sure how to ask him.

"So, today really sucked." She said.

Aang laughed. "Yeah it really did."

"Um, Aang? Can I ask you something?"

Aang looked at her, confused. "Yeah, sure what is it?"

Katara rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I know it's not any of my business – no! Wait! This is my business! Sokka is my brother and I have a right to know!"

Aang now looked even more confused. "Um, what do you want to know?"

Katara sighed. "Sokka is upset about something. He's been like this since the eclipse. Did something happen down there in that bunker?"

Aang glanced back at Sokka then back to Katara. "You know how Azula tried to distract us so we wouldn't go look for Ozai? Well, Sokka had just figured that out and we were leaving. Then Azula mentioned that she had this favorite prisoner who always said that Sokka was going to save her, that he never did and that she gave up. Sokka was furious; I have never seen him this mad. He even started to cry some.

"Sokka ran to attack Azula; she pulled out some blades that she was hiding in her sleeves. Toph sensed it before Sokka and cuffed her to the wall with stone. Then Sokka grabbed her by the throat and yelled at her to tell him where Suki was." Katara gasped. "I know I was surprised too. But then the eclipse had ended and Azula had her fire bending back. So we got out of there and here we are."

Katara stared ahead. "Oh, poor Sokka. He really does love her doesn't he?"

Aang nodded.

Sokka's POV

The group continued to travel on Appa all through the night and on until late the next afternoon. Sokka had fallen asleep sometime during the night though he couldn't remember when. Katara hadn't tried to talk to him again yet and he felt kind of bad. He really loved his sister but he just wanted to be left alone. The Western Air Temple looked exactly like every other Air Temple they had seen; a lonely, desolate, deserted temple in the middle of some lonely, desolate, deserted mountains. Sokka tried to be a bit more animate once they had landed.

He helped get Teo's wheel chair out off of Appa and helped set up camp. When everyone ate dinner Sokka even tried to crack a few jokes, but his heart wasn't in it. Everyone laughed but nobody really thought it was funny. Later while everyone was asleep Sokka lay on his back and stared at the sky. He couldn't see the moon. Sokka got up carefully so he wouldn't wake anyone up. He walked around the temple until he found the spot where he could see the moon perfectly. The moon was yet another woman he had loved and failed.

Yue was so good and perfect that she had given her life to save her people. Sokka stared thinking of how he would never be able to protect anyone ever. He wasn't a water bender or an earth bender or an air bender, and he defiantly wasn't a fire bender. He would never be as talented or as special as Aang, Toph or Katara. Sokka bowed his head and let go of the tears he had been holding in all day.

"Suki," Sokka whispered. "Suki, I'm sorry."


End file.
